"I wanted to be a
good American. I wanted to serve my county. I couldn't wait to fight
my first war."

Born on the Fourth of July is
the true story of Ron Kovic, a decorated Vietnam war veteran who
came home after serving his tour of duty to a divided country that
couldn't make heads or tails of a war that was happening 18,000
miles away. It's based on his novel of the same name, and director
Oliver Stone actually attempted to bring Kovic's story to the big
screen a full decade before the film was finally made. When it made
it to theatres in 1989, critics once again cheered Stone's ability
to bring empathy to an often-misunderstood chapter in American
history and his talent at crafting remarkable, individual film art.

At the opening of the story, we meet Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise). He's a
high school senior in Massapequa, Long Island who is eager to serve
his county and to please his strict, Catholic parents. It's in this
portion of the story that Stone establishes the mood of the country
at the time - optimistic, but somewhat naive to the building
political tensions in both Vietnam and the United States. From
there, the story spends a brief amount of time in Vietnam - just
enough to see Kovic become paralyzed and one of his platoon members
mortally wounded. When Kovic leaves Vietnam, he is transferred to a
run-down, understaffed, rat-infested VA Hospital in the Bronx, that
looks like something out of a third world country. It's amazing that
anyone could make it out of there alive... or with their sanity
intact.

But the real tension in the story happens when Ron comes home. His
family has changed - his younger brother doesn't like the war, his
mother (Caroline Kava) is struggling to understand him, and his high
school sweetheart (Kyra Sedgwick) is now an anti-war political
activist. And Kovic's own war demons are eating him alive. He's sure
that he had something to do with the death of his platoon member,
and neither he nor his family knows how to deal with him being in a
wheelchair. It's a long road out of hell (both for Kovic and the
viewer), but every frame of this movie is worth watching. It puts an
emotional face to the war (and its consequences on individuals and
society) that was not there before this film came out.

Born on the Fourth of July is
an admirable follow-up to Platoon.
It's not as powerful a film as its predecessor, but they are
entirely different pieces of filmmaking. Platoon
was told in a straight narrative style, and its scope of time is
limited to one tour of duty in Vietnam. Born
on the Fourth of July represents twenty years of Ron
Kovic's life. It's split up into four or five different segments,
that each could have been built into a full-length feature film.
Each is compelling in its own right, but couldn't be more different
from each other. Contrast the first half-hour of the film (a
nostalgic piece of Americana) with its harrowing middle portion
(depicting Kovic's adjustment to life in his hometown and his
subsequent alcohol abuse) and you'll realize what an incredible
piece of directing this is.

As good as the film is, the same praise cannot be given in regard
to its video presentation over the years. Since it was first
released on disc, Born on the Fourth of
July has had problems with image quality. The first DVD
release was a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer with abundant
artifacting and film grain. The picture was also very edgy looking.
But for what it was lacking, it was still watchable. A year later,
Universal released the same transfer on DVD with a DTS soundtrack
(which I'll go into further below). Then, late last year, a new "special
edition" disc of Born was
released, with yet another non-anamorphic transfer. The picture
looks a tad unkempt, and the biggest problem is heavy
edge-enhancement, which produces ringing in some spots and
distracting shimmer in others. Grain is still strongly apparent, but
black levels are detailed and solid, and flesh tones are muted but
accurate. The source print seems free of most age-related defects,
so at least you get a picture that's nearly free of nicks and
scratches. Still, while it's not a horrible effort, it doesn't hold
up to Universal's other recent work. This is definitely a film that
deserves a new anamorphic transfer. Unfortunately, this disc is the
same one you'll find in Warner's new Oliver
Stone Collections, just in new Snapper packaging.

Both the original DVD and this new version feature a Dolby Digital
5.1 track. It's a subtle but potent mix, that's not engineered to
grab your attention, but rather to add dimension to the film. The
front end of the sound field is robust and detailed, with discreet
use of left and right panning. Most of the workout in the mix
happens in the fifteen minutes that take place in Vietnam, and
you'll hear quite a bit of action in the surround portion of the
sound field as well. Throughout the rest of the movie, the rear
channels are reserved for John Williams' beautiful score. Noticeable
depth is added to the mix in the low-frequency channel, which really
comes in full-throttle when it's needed. The DTS 5.1 version of the
film is only slightly better than the Dolby Digital mix. The
low-frequency channel is a tad more active, and added dimensionality
is garnered from slightly more aggressive use of the surround
speakers. The DTS mix is a bit more natural sounding, but it's not
something worth hunting down unless you're really an audio junky or
sound purist.

Extra-wise, the earlier DVD versions give you only production notes
and a cast and crew index. The new "special edition"
version does throw a few more things in, but it's a mixed bag. I
find Oliver Stone's commentary tracks to be some of the more
captivating ones on DVD, and this one is no exception. He shares
quite a bit about his techniques as a director and a storyteller, as
well as information on Ron's story. It's obvious from the start of
the track that Stone feels a strong personal connection to this
story. This is a rare commentary that's worth listening to from
beginning to end. The production notes do provide more details on
the making of the film, but they also repeat some of what's said in
the commentary. Strangely, the film's theatrical trailer is nowhere
to be found on this new DVD. All in all, I would have liked a lot
more for such a highly-regarded film.

Born on the Fourth of July is
a great film. It's the middle section of Oliver Stone's "Vietnam
Trilogy", and it's notable as a turning point in Tom Cruise's
career - the role finally gained him respect as both an actor and a
bankable star. Cruise carries this movie from beginning to end, and
his transformation from gung-ho teenager to outspoken, battle-worn
war hero is a real eye-opener. The latest DVD presentation could
definitely be stepped up a notch or two on the quality scale, but if
you like Oliver Stone and you like the movie, this disc is a decent
way to enjoy it.